But first, in Revelation we have the church in Sardis. They were a dead church. The one thing that we must understand is that you could have all of the emotional activities of a thriving church, but you're not responding to the Lord.
The one thing that is clear about dead churches is that you could have emotional music, appear to be alive, but you're dead.
Live music may be a dead giveaway that before the Lord, you're dead.
Revelation 3:1-6 (NKJV) “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write,
‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.
Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.“‘
The word “blot” means to “wipe away.”
Even Moses said this. It was hard to believe, but he said it.
Exodus 32:31-34
Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold!
Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written."
“And the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you.
Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin."
It's amazing how we see that the sin of Israel was to create a golden calf to worship an idol as God gave Moses the 10 Commandments written by the finger of God. They've compelled Aaron to make a golden calf because Moses was delayed from coming down from the mountain of God.
They ate, drank, committed sexual immorality (played) and worshipped a golden calf, made from the riches that the Egyptians gave to the children of Israel.
Notice what Mose prayed. "Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written."
This is one of Moses' powerful prayers of intercession, but the Lord said this in response.
“And the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book."
I shudder and tremble in fear to think of all the names of the people that were wiped out of the Book of Life for worshipping the golden calf in blatant violation of the fist and second commandment.
Remember. Not only will all of them die in the wilderness, (except Joshua and Caleb), but those that worship that golden calf idol ended up in hell.
In the NT, for anyone that takes the mark of the beast, they're done too.
Then, there's those that will stand before the Great White Throne. "And whoever is not found written in the Book of Life were cast into the lake of fire."
What makes a church a dead church.
Simple.
Sin.
Notice Romans 6:11 (NKJV)
"Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
People that are dead to God are alive to sin and satan.
In Romans 8 and 2 Timothy chapter 2, Paul said that those that are in the flesh cannot please God and if you have not the Spirit of Christ, you are none of His, and "The Lord know those who are His and let everyone that name the name of Christ depart from iniquity."
The church at Sardis was no different. There were only a few that were worthy to wear white.
Look at the admonition again from the Lord Jesus.
"He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."
What sin, if any, were they to overcome?
Any and every sin.
Lying, stealing, adultery, fornication, drunkenness, effeminate, sodomy, extortion, reviler, idolatry, covetousness, blaspheming the name of the Lord, and others.
The clue to this is what the Lord admonished the believers to do.
"Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent."
What was it that they've received and heard?
The gospel.
How do you know?
First, the gospel is consistent.
To change the gospel means that you've rejected the initial gospel. Look at what Paul said to the church at Corinth.
2 Corinthians 11:3-4 (NKJV) "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!"
Another gospel is designed to pull you away from Christ.
The penalty for rejecting Christ is severe.
If they fail to hold fast or grasp tightly the only gospel, the Lord will blot or wipe their name from the Book of Life.
When you're wiped from he Book of Life, you'll end up in the lake of fire for sure.
Revelation 20:11-15 (NKJV) "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death.
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."
Be forewarned!
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